European Union News - Environmnet

An increasing number of developing countries are outsourcing deforestation to help protect and restore their local forests, according to a new study. The research was funded in part by the REDD-ALERT 'Reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation through alternative land uses in rainforests of the Tropics' project.

Before an earthquake hits the Iberian Peninsula, specific patterns in seismic behaviour can be detected, Spanish researchers have found. Presented in the journal Expert Systems with Applications, the study could prove vital for researchers seeking to determine when an earthquake will strike. The team recognises, however, that the chances of forecasting an earthquake with 100% accuracy are slim.

Ecological restoration can curb environmental degradation but little is known about how cost effective the approaches are. Enter an EU-funded team of scientists from the UK and Latin America that investigated the cost-effectiveness of renewing a degraded, or even destroyed, ecosystem through human intervention.

The EU and G8 leaders agreed in 2009 to achieve an 80% cut in carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 if atmospheric CO2 is to stabilise at 450 parts per million, and if global warming stays under the safe level of 2°C. However, securing the overall 80% decarbonisation goal within the next 4 decades may need 95% decarbonisation of the road transport sector, and objective which will require new efficient and reliable propulsion systems.

Slumbering volcanoes keep scientists on their toes, as questions about if and when they will erupt never cease. Eyjafjallajökull, the Icelandic volcano that threw European aviation into a tailspin last spring, is a prime example of how volcanologists were aware that something was brewing inside the mountain that had lain dormant for two centuries. New research suggests that the culprit responsible for waking Eyjafjallajökull from its sleep was the magma flowing beneath it.

The Official Journal of the European Union published on 24 November the Commission Decision of 22 November 2010 establishing the European Union Ecolabelling Board. This document establishes the representation that different consumer and business organizations as well as ONGs will hold within this body.

EU Solidarity Fund aid to repair storm damage in France and Portugal was approved by the Budgets Committee on Thursday. The February 2010 storms flooded large parts of France's Charente-Maritime and Vendée regions, leading to 53 deaths, and caused landslides and severe flooding on the Portuguese island of Madeira. The EU contributions are €35,635,750 for France and €31,255,790 for Portugal.

The reform and the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is undoubtedly one of the biggest challenges of the European Union. Its reformulation, as highlighted by the Commission, affects not only farmers but all citizens as consumers and taxpayers. Achieving a competitive agriculture both from economic and environmental point of view is one of the objectives pursued by the Commission in its Communication on the future of the CAP presented on 18 November.

The Official Journal of the European Union published on 18 November 2010 Regulation Nº 1031/2010 of 12 November 2010 on the timing, administration and other aspects of auctioning of greenhouse gas emission allowances. This Regulation aims to establish common rules in order to run a single auction system, considered as the most effective for the proper functioning of the single market.